Ballast spreader



Get. 30, 1928. 1,689,694

y B. W. STRAW BALLAST SPREADFRl Filed July 14, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ct. 30, 192.8.v

B. W. STRAW BALLAST SPREADER Filed July 14, 192e 2 sheets-sheet 2 attenua,

Patente-d Oct. 30, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT orricis.

BERNABDW. sTnAW, or MOUNT AIRY, MARYLAND, AssTGNon To sTaAW :BALLAST DISTRTBUTER CORPORATION, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A coRpoRATION 0F DELAWARE.

BALLAST SPREADE'R.

Application led July 14, 1926.v Serial No. 122,463.

This invention relates -to theapplication of ballast or the like to the roadbed of a railroad and, more particularly, to a ,receptacle attached to an ordinary railway car or adapted for being adj ustably attached to a hopper or other ballast carrying car for receiving ballast therefrom and evenly distributing the saine as needed on the roadbed.

The principal object of my invention, generally considered, is the provision of a ballast receiving device formed with one or more doors adapted for providing an accurately graduated opening for' distributing ballast along a railroad track, said device being preferably attached to an ordinary railway car oi' suspended from the sides of the car and extending above the rails and beneath the load containing part ofthe car.

An object of my invention is the provision of a ballast receiving pan or receptacle preferably elongated and formed with relatively low side walls and one or more apertures vin the bottom thereof closed by a sliding door or doors for graduating .the flow of ballast therethrough, said device being adapted for transverse positioning with respect to the' car beneath a discharge opening therein and preferably spaced slightly above the car supporting rails.

Another object of my invention is the pro-- vision of a ballast receiving and spreading device adapted for being positioned beneath a discharge door or doors of a hopper or other ballast receivin car, said device beingY formed with ttom doors permitting spreading of allast between and adjacent the rails and having apertured end walls, said apertures being closed by sliding doors for graduating thevflow of ballast to either side of the roadbed, and said doors being adapted for manual operation from either side 'ot the device.

A. further object oft my invention is the provisiony lof a ballast spreading device adapted for being positioned beneath the opening in a hopper or other ballast receiving car and' constituting means-for receiving and gradually spreading ballast onthe road-bed, said device, for that purpose, being provided with an opening inthe bottm 'thereof and a slide for closing one side portion or 'the other of said opening, whereby the effective position of said opening may be varied in' accordance with the direction ot flow of the ballast vtrom the' car and sliding doors for covering and uncovering the remaining portion of said'opening.

Other objects and advantages of :the invention relating to the particular arrangement and combination of the various parts will become apparent as the description proceeds. i Referring to the drawings illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is defined by the appended claims: Y Y

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of my ballast spreading device suspended from the side walls of the type of cai' with which it is preferably used.

Figure 2 .is a top plan of the ifo-rm of device shown in Figure 1, the end walls being omitted. Y

lFigure 3 is a fragmentary bot-tom plan of. my ballast spreader. Figure 4 .is an end elevational view of the illustrated embodiment of myl invention.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure l2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion o t' a. car with my ballast spreader in position with respect thereto,said spreader ein'g shown in section on the of Figure 2, l

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 7-7` of Figure 4 looking in the direct-ion of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, like parts -lbeing. designated by like reference characters, my ballast spreader 1 is preferline 6 6 ably suspended so as to extend transversely beneath the body of a car 2 and more specifically so as to directly underlie a. discharge opening 3 thereof, said opening 3, in the shown applied to a hopper type ot car pi'o-' vided with a plurality of hoppers discharg- .ing longitudinally of the car in opposite directions yet Ido not wishvto be limited yto such a showing as, if desiredpny spreader may be used with 'Hat bottom cars havingA discharging openings therein or with other forms of cars adapted for carrying ballast and discharging it from the bottoms or sides thereof.A v l .K i

Myballast spreading device preferably comprises a floor plate 5 provided with sides 6,- w'hich may be formed b theV upright fianges of longitudinalstiffenlng angle irons .7. Saidvioor is preferably rigidified by a plurality of transverse reinforcements 8 and formed withjcentral openings 9 providing ,a substantially continuous. opening which Cil ext-ends the full length of the'spreading device except for the s aces connected by the reinforcements 8 an portions yof the floor plate of corresponding width.

In order to provide for'varying the effective position of theopenings 9, so that the spreader may be used most efiiciently when it underlies a hopperfdischarging either to the right -or to theleft,'a,slide 10 is preferably provided which, in the present instance,

' is adapted to cover substantially one-third of 12 riveted or otherwise connected to engage the area of the openings and which ,may be formed continuous from the one extreme end stifener 8 to the other.` Said slide is preferably guided'at its ends by being received between guiding strips 11 andthe floor llate 5x of the device and may be prevente from longitudinal movement with respect to said guiding strips 11 by)having abutment pieces said guiding portionsias-most clearly shown in Figure 2. The closure stripl 10, as shown -most clearly in Figure 6, is preferably posi` tioned adjacent the hopper opening 3 of the car so that the effective discharge opening is disposed very close to the door 4 when the spreading device is normally positioned with respect to thecar. AIt will thus be seen that an adjustable opening is provided for the gradual spreading 4of ballast therethrough, said opening not only being adjustable in size on account of the sliding. doors to be hereinafter described, but beirigadjustable in" manually operated door, if desired, but in -I accordance with the present embodiment of my invention, I have shown'these openings closed by a central or intermediate sliding door 13 and end sliding doors 14 and 15, respectively. The` intermediate or central sliding door ,13 preferably extends between-the intermediate stiffeners 16 which, in the present embodiment, normally substantially overlie the rails of the track on-which the aspurpose.

prevent binding of the door therebetween.

Undesired lendwise movement of the door is prevented vand the operation thereof facilitated by rollers or other anti-friction means 17 rolling on theI intermediate 'stifeners 16 and preferably journaled 'on studs 18 provided on the underside of the sliding door 13.

Any desired manually operable meansimay y b ev provided for actuating the sliding door 13 and, inthe present embodiment, I have shown levers 19 pivotally mounted on studs or pins 20 provided on the central stifener 8 and prevented from undesired removal therefrom by cotters or the like 21, The connection between the levers 19 and the sliding door is, in the present instance, made .bya U shaped strip 22 connected-to the bottom of t-he door 13 at either end thereof and surrounding t'he adjacent portion of the respective lever 19 while engaging the sameloosely enough to permit the desired angling motionof the lever with respect thereto. The

levers 19v extend lbeyond the ends of the 'spreading ldevice 1 andare preferably reduced in size to provide convenient hand holds 23 for opening and .closing said door. It will be obvious that, if both of the levers 19 are operated simultaneously in the same direction, for example, 'by a railroad employee positioned at either sideof the car adjacent the end of the spreader, the door 13 will be opened or closed t'o the desired degree. If it is desired to distribute ballast.

adjacent only one rail or to a greater degree adjacent one rail and between both rails, one of the employees will .operate his lever 19 to -a greaterl extent to thereby'cause the door 13 toangle and provide a greater opening at one end thereof than at the other, a sufficient clearance between the rollers 17 and the adjacent braces 16 being provided for,I the The end openings 9, in the present instance, are closed by the individual separate- 'ly operable doors 14 and 15, said doors being similarly guided between the floor plate 5 and the braces .8 and 16, although the outer ends of said doors may rest directly on the operating levers 24 and 25, which levers in turn are pivoted'to the floor plate 5 by means of pins 26 and 27-as illustrated particularly in Figures 2 and 5. In order to prevent binding between the operating levers and the' floor plate 5, spacing plates 28 are positioned between said levers and oor plate. The connection between the levers and spreader veficaces doors 14 and 15, in accordance withthe present embodiment,l involves studs or pins 29 and 30 on the doors 14`and 15, respectively engaging inv correspondingslots 31 yand 32 in said levers, the lower ends of each of said studs 29 and 30, beneath the levers, being preferably provided with' a retaining cotter 33-and a washer 34.

From the foregoing, it will be clear that I have providedmeans for graduating'the flow of ballast or other material received from an associated car upon my spreading device either between therails or outside of the rails. By virtue of the levers 24 and25 overlying the operating levers 19 for theI central sliding door, there is'no interference between said levers and the central door may/be operated simultaneously with or lindependently of the outer or end doors. If greater leverage is desired for operating the sliding doors, the same may be secured by applying a piece of pipe of suitable size (not shown) over the hand holds, asAwill-be understood,

Endwalls 35 are preferably provided for my spreading device, said Awalls preferably comprising end plates 36 and angular braces or stiiiening means 37 leaving therebetween an opening 38 which is preferabl closed by a vertically sliding door 39. Guiding slots between the stifenin means 37 and the plate 36 are provided byaving -filler strips: 40 positioned between said angular members 37 and the plates 364 as mostelearly shown in Figure 7.

The end walls 35 are preferably adjustably connected with the main pan shaped portion of the spreading deviceby pins 41 extending through outer strap portions 42 on the end walls, a selected aperture 43 in the adjacent side wall 6 and a corresponding aperture 44 in the angular stifening portion 37 at each side of each end wall of the device. This mode of connection between the end walls and the bottom and v side walls permits fiexibility allowing application to cars ofV various sizes.

. 46 is pivotally connected adjacent a lower edge thereof as indicated at 47 and the upper end of said linkl is pivoted to an operating lever/i8 as indicated at 49. 'Said operating le ver is adapted for operation from either side 4 of the device so that the operator may follow the spreading device as the car is moved along the track and raise or lower the door 39'to the desired degreex Inthe present cmbodiment, the fulcrum means for the lever 48 comprises removable )ins 50 adapted for insertion in corresponding apertures 5l in the lever and 52 in theangular bracing member 37 of the end wall and it will be noted that in Figure 1, said hooks being preferably ositioned'over the respective top edges o the car at .each side thereof to hold the device directlyI beneath a hopper or other vopening 3 with one side Wall 6 engaging the usual angular stiffener 56 below the hopper and the other side wallserving to limit the opening of the hopper door 4, thereby preventing loss of Inaterial over the side thereof. 0f course, before connection with the car, the slide 1() is positioned so that the ei'l'ective opening lies most nearly in line with the flow of ballast from the hopper as shown most clearly in he operation of my device is as follows:v After hooking on `to the car, as illustrated in Figures 1 and (i, with the floor of the device'so positioned'that the door 4 will open and permit the discharge of ballast from the car, the slide 10 is positioned as indicated and all of the bottom and end sliding doors in the device are closed. The door 4 of the car is then opened permitting ballast, or other material desired to be distributed along the track, to flow `into the spreading device. The doors 9, 14, 15 and 39 are then opened to the desireddegree andclosed as desired by enlployees who walk beside the car as thel same ismoved along the track to therebyevenly distribute ballast or the like, as needed, over the roadbed. It will be apparent that, when 'using a device of this character, only so much of the ballast as is needed is dropped on the roadbed thereby greatly reducing the amount of manual labor now required to be expended AFigure 6.

'in ballasting track, and consequently eii'ecting large savings in the cost of such work. In other Words, one of the very expensive features of ballast application, that is, the spreading and distributing of large piles of ,ballast dropped on the roadbed, as has heretofore been necessary when using hopper and other ballast carrying ears, is'elin'iinated.

When one of the pockets of the hopper car has discharged its ballast and the latter has llo been distributed,'the ballast spreading device is shifted so as to be brought into proper operating relation with the next hopper fromy which the ballast is to be discharged., Toeffeet this shifting of the ballast spreader the y' pins 4l by which the end walls 35 are flexibly .attached tothe bottom of the spreader are withdrawn, thus permitting said bottom por;

tion to be slid transversely of the car so as to withdraw it from beneath the discharge hopper. The bottom section of the spreader can then be positioned beneath the pocket it is desired to discharge, after which the supporting i hooks 54 .may be slid along the top edges of -the bottom section of the pan.

the sides of the car until the end walls 35 of the device are in alinement with the ends of The pins 41 are then replaced and the free ends ot the chains are adjusted to support the spreader in the desired position, as shown in Fig. 1.

Although I have shown my device as separate means adapted for receiving ballast or the like from a regular hopper or other railway car and distributing the same.- as needed, oiilthe roadbed, yet unless otherwise claimed I do not Wish to be `restricted to Such a showing as I may embody my device permanently as part of a car, so that the same yforms p art or the Whole of a car bottom, or other portion thereof, and serves for distributing ballast directly from the bodyot` the car. It is also to be understood that the terni granular is herein employed in a broad rather than in a restricted sense and includes ballast and lump material generally. 5 A

Having now described my invention, I claim: i

1. In combination, a car-formed with a body for holding granular material, andineans removably positioned beneath said bodv for receiving said material, said means being formed Witha door adapted for gradual operation to release said material as needed for spreading it beneathsaid car.

2. In combination, a hopper car formed with a door for discharging ballast therefrom and detachable means positioned beneath said door for receiving ballast, said means being provided with a door adapted to be gradually opened or closed for allowing ballast to be distributed as needed. f

3. In combination, a car formed with a hopper and a door for discharging ballastor the like from said hopper to the roadbed beneath the car and means movable with the car and positioned beneaththe door of said hopper adapted for receiving material discharged .from said car. said means being provided with doors adapted .to provide adjustable openings for spreading vmaterial along lthe ioadbedV Where needed.

LL I'n combination, a car formed with a door adapted to discharge granular material therefrom and a pan adaptedto normally unl 'derlie said door and be held between the same andrails supportingr said'car, saidy an being formed with sides for retaining sai material and a plurality of slidable doors in the bot.- tom thereof,` one of saiddoors being adapted to graduate the flow of material to the road bed between said` rails and another of said doors permitting a graduated flow of materialto the road bed outside of said rails.

5. In combination, a'car formed with a door in theI bottom thereof for discharging material therefrom and a material receiving device suspended from the car and normally underlying said door and held in spaced relation With respect to the car supporting rails, said device being provided with bottom doors for spreading material adjacent the rails'and side doors for spreading material beyond the rails.

6. In combination, .acar formed With a dumping door for discharging ballast or the like', and a ballast receivin pan suspended from the sides of the car an` underlying said door, said pan being formed with relatively low` sides and a longitudinal discharge opening in the bottom thereof, said opening being closable by slidable doors adapted-for graduating the openinfr provided for spreading ballast therethroug -7. In combination, v a hopper car formed with a door for discharging ballast therefrom and adetachable pan shaped device suspended beneath lsaid door and extending transversely of the car, said device being provided Witli low transversely extending side walls` and relatively Vhigh adjustably positioned end lWalls, said end Walls being provided with vertically movable sliding doors tor discharging ballast to` either side of the car.- I

llil

. 8. In combination, a car formed with a i door at the bottom thereof for discharging ballast or .the like to the roadbed beneath the car and an elongated pan shaped device extendini)` transversely of the car-beneaththe body thereof and adapted for receiving ballast from thebody of the car, said device being formed with 'side walls and end walls, said end Walls being provided with slidable doors therein alternativel adapted for operation from either side'of t edevice.

9. In combination, a car formed with a door adapted to-discharge granular materiall therefrom and a pan like device normally suspended beneath said door between the same and the rails supporting the car', said device being formed with side Walls and an opening at the bottom thereof, and means for llt) slide adapted to close one side portion or thev other of said opening and sliding doors adapte d to cover or uncover the remaining portion of said opening.

10. In combinatioma car formed with a door at the vbottom-tliereof-for discharging material therefrom 'and a material receiving device suspended from the car, normally .underlying said door and held in spaced relation above the car supporting rails, said dcvice being provided with an opening at. the

bottom thereof closed by doors lfor varying the effective area of said opening for spreading ballast along the track, one of said doors nl) l being adapted to spread ballastl between saidy rails and another being adapted to 'spread' ballast outside of said rails, and independent operating means for each of said doors.

l1. In combination, a cai` formed with' a door for discharging granular material, a

device for lreceiving and spreading'said mateneath acar thereon, an elongated opening in walls and relatively high end walls adapted` the bottom of said device, sliding doors adapted to graduate the size of said opening for spreading ballast there-through and manually operable means foradjusting the positions osaid doors. 13. A ballast receiving and spreading device comprising a Hoor portion adaptedto be positioned transversely of a hopper car beneath a discharge door thereof, said device being formed with relatively lowside for adjustment with respect to the floor poi'- tion of the device, said end walls being apertured and provided with doors for discharging ballast from either end of thel device.

14. A ballast receiving and spreading de- .vice comprising an elongated pan shaped member ad pted :tor extending transversely of a'car beheath the bodv thereof, said de- 'vice being formed-with side walls and end walls, saidend walls being apertured and said apertures being closed by vertically slidable doors; and means for operating said doors comprising a lever adapted for operation li'omeither end/thereof, whereby said doors may be opened and closed from either 'side ot thel device. i

' 15. A ballast receiving and spreading de-I. vice comprising a pan like element adapted for suspension beneath a discharge door o'i.; a car and above -the 'rails supporting said car. said device beiiig provided with side walls and having an openingin its bottom and means for varying the effective position of said .opening depending on the direction of dow of balla-st from the car, said means comprising a slide adapted to close one side portion or the other of said'opening and sliding doors adapted to cover or uncover tli'e remaining portion of said opening.

1G. A ballast receiving and' spreading device adapt-ed for suspension from a car and normally underlying a dischargedoor thereof and positioned above the car supporting rails.- 'said device being provided with an opening in the bottom thereof closed by doors for varying the flow of ballast therethrough, oneo'f said doors being adapted to spread ballast between the rails and another being adapted to spreadballast outside of saidvrails, and means for independently operating each ofsaid doors.

17. A ballast spreader comprising a receptacle adapted Jfor receiving and spreading ballast 'and means attached to said device adapted to hook on to the sides of an associated car to suspend the same in adjusted vposition between a discharge door thereof and rails supporting said car.

18. A detachable deviceA for application to a lrailway car, said devicev having manually7 operable doors and being positioned at the discharge outlet of a car to selectively control the flow of lading from the car to any portion'of an underlyingroadbed section, sai-d doors. being movable independently of the door for normally. closing said discharge out-- let of the car. .Y

19. In combination, a railway car adapted to hold granular material and-to discharge the same b gravity, and means removably positioned eneath said car for receiving ma terial therefrom, said means being yadapted,

independent of the rate oit-movement ofthe car to graduate the flow of material from said car as desired for spreading the same therebeneath. i 4

i 20. In combination, a car formed-with a door for discharging material theretrom and a. material-receiving device 'positioned bcncatlh said door, said device being provided with side walls and end walls, said end walls .being provided with doors for discharging y' material from the car. 2l, In combination, a railway car formed wit-h a door for discharging granular mate-y rial, and aI device movable with the car and independent of the door for receiving-'and spreading said material, said device being posiitioned between the car body andthe track rai s.

22. A material spreading device for det-achable application to a. railwa car, said device comprising a lloor` portion adapted to extend beneath the car, an elongated opening in the bottom of Said'device, doors adapted to graduate the sizel of said 'opening for spreading material therethrough and means for adjusting the positions of said doors.

23. A device detachably positioned at the discharge ont-let of arailway car to selectively control. the flow of lading from the car, said device extending transversely of the car and projecting beyond the track rails and including a manually operable door.

24. In combination, a 'car formed with door openings and having'doors for the discharge of granular lading, and means positionedr adjacent at least one of said doors and adapted to receive` granular material from said door opening, said means including manually operable means to discharge said granular material as desired.

25. A ballast spreader comprising a receptacle adapted to be secured adjacent 'a regular discharge opening of a gondola car, s ald spreader having manually operable means for selectively distributing the lading to any port-ion of the road bed'.

26. A ballast spreader for gondola cars comprising a trough shaped receptacle, means formed in said receptacle for'distributmg ballast, and separate manually operable meatn's 10y adapted to control the flo-w of ballast through said 'first named means as desired.y

27. A ballast spreader'for v,gondola cars, said spreader comprising atrough-like receptacle fsupported beneath said c ar 1n position to receive ballast from a regulardischarge opening of said car, and mea-ns carried by said receptacle and adapted to control the flow of ballast from said receptacle so as to deliver it to theroad bed between the rails or outs-ide of the rails as desired.

28. In combination, a car, adevice detachable from said car and movable with the car for distributing material therefrom, saidl de- -vice being rovided with means for' seleci5 tively distri uting said material to the road bed between the track railsk and outside of 'said rails as desired. f

29. A device adapted to positioned at the discharge outlet of a railway car and adapted to control'the depositingof ballast or the like. from said car, said device being aseparate unit, from said car and involving a plurality of relatively movable members afford-A ing a. discharge opening vof ad'ustable size through which said ballastl is discharged lby gravity.

30. The method of handling ballast which consists of depositing the ballast through a door of a railway car into a trough-like re- 40 ceptacle and causing the ballast to ow from said receptacle to the track as desired.

31. In combination, a railway car body provided with an opening through which granular material is adapted to be discharged ,by gravity, a door for the opening, and means disposed in the path of material discharged from said opening for. controllably varying the amount of said material delivered to the roadbed between the rails and outside the rails.

32. In combination, a railway car body provided with an opening through which granular mate-rial is adapted lto be discharged by gravity, a door for the opening, and means independent of the extent of opening of the side said rails.

33. In combination, a railway car body provided with an opening through which granular material is adapted to be discharged by avity, a door for the opening, and means independent of the extent of opening of the rdoor for adju'stably diverting said material to the roadbed between the rails or outside thc rails at will.

34. In combination, a railway car body provided with an ope-ning through which granular material is adapted to be discharged by gravity, a door for the opening, and means disposed in the path of material discharged from said openin adapted to deliver said material coincident y to the roadbed between the rails and outside the rails at both sides of the track and also adapted to prevent at will the delivery of said material between the rails or at the side of the trackoutside the rails.

35. In combination, a railway car body having an opening through which granular material is adapted to be discharged, and means for cont-rolling the discharge of material through said opening, said means being adapted to arrest said discharge at will and also'` being adapted to cause the discharved material to'be selectively delivered either e- :tweenI the track rails or outside the rails or coincideiifly between and outside said rails,

y36. In combination, a railway car bod provided withlan opening through whic granular material is adapted to be dischar by gravity, a door for the opening, said oor being movable to yopen position under the influence of gravity, and means for varying the amount of material delivered to the roadbed when said door is open. 41

37. In'combination, a railway car 'body provided with an opening through which granular-material is adapted to be discharged by gravity, a door for the opening,-said door being movable to open position under the iniuence of gravity, and means for selectively delivering thedischarged material either between the track rails or outside said rails.

38. In, combination, a railway car body having a hopper provided with' an opening throughlwhich granular material is adapted t discharge by gravity, a door for the opening, and means for distributing to the roadbed the material discharged through the opening of the hopper, the door being movablefindependently of said means, and said means serving'to permit the amount of niaterial delivered to the roadbed to be varied atwill.

39. In combination, a car formed with a body for holding granular material, a door for preventing discharge of said material from the body, and means positioned beneath the body forreceiving said material when! said door is open, said means having a discharge opening and a door therefor, .whereby the material received by said means may be released and delivered as desired to the roadt bed between the rails.

40. In combination, a car having an o ening for discharging ballast or the like, a oor lfor closlng the opening, and ballast receiv-l ing means movable with the car and positioned to receive the ballast, discharged throughV said opening, said meansbeing pro-y vided with .a ballastI discharging bottom opening and including means whereby the eiiective area of' said bottom opening may be' varied independently of the movement of said door.- u j i v 41. In combination, a car having an opening for discharging ballast or the like, a door ceiving the material discharged throughsaid opening when the door is open,` said means, j being positioned below said opening and pro- 1 viding betweenthe track rails a ballast discharge opening whose eilective areais ad- Y justable independently ofthe position of the door. f Y.

42. A ballast receiving and spreading device adapted to' be positioned below va discharge opening of afrailway car and to be movableralong thetrack rails with the par, said 'device beingiformed with a bottom portion through which the ballast may be fdischargedand being providedwith door' means serving to .control the delivery of ballast betweenv the rails andthe delivery of ballast outside said rails. l

` 43. In combination, a railway car body wprovided with an opening through. which granular material is adapted to be discharged by gravity, a door for the opening, and means disposed in the pathI of material dischargedv from saidopening for receiving said lmaterial, said means having its ends projecting' outwardlylbeyo'nd vthe track rails Yand beingv provided withr a bottom, side walls, and end',

walls, at least one of said.y end walls being formed with an opening and having a door for controlling-the delivery of said material to the roadbed outside ofthe track rails. 44. A ballast spreading device adapted to be positioned betweenthe discharge opening cfa railway car and the track rails by which the car liscarried, said device being formed with a bottom, side walls,'and end walls, and

having one or more doors permitting deliyery of ballast to the road bed.

45. Alballast spreading device adapted to be positioned betweenthe discharge outlet of a railway car andl thetrack rails by which Athe car is, carried, said'device projecting at its endsfbeyondlthe track rails and being provided with a bottom and with side walls and end' lwalls projecting upwardly therefrom,

said bottom being adapted to extend transversely of the car-in a plane'substantially parallel to that of the tops of the track rails, and said device being provided with means for permitting ballast to be discharged therefrom.

4,6. In combination, a railway car body,

providedwith a hopper having a slope sheet formingthe iloor of said hopper, a door for the discharge opening of the hopper and a ballastcspreading device for receiving ballast discharged from the hopper when the door is opened, saiddevice being adapted at will to permit the delivery of ballast to`the roadbcd,v

or to. prevent its delivery thereto, and being provided with side walls and end walls, one

Iof theside walls being adapted to overlap the outer face ofsaid door when the latter is opened, and 'oneof the side walls being adapted to extend beneath said slope sheet of the hopper.

47. In combination, a railway car bodyv .provided with an openingfor the discharge ot granular material, and means interposed between said opening and the track rails for4 independently controlling the amount ofinaterial depositedl between kthe rails and the amount deposited outside the rails. y

48; In combination, a railway car body provided with an opening for the discharge of granular material, and a'device adapted to deliver said materialto the roadbed between the ra-ils and outside of the rails, said device including means for independently, controlling the delivery of materialv outside of each rail ot' the track, and independent means for controlling the deposit of material between the i'ails.`

. 49. In combination, a railway car body provided with aii opening for the discharge oi granular material, a door for the qpeninga device positioned between'- said opening and' the track rails for receiving said material and delivering it tothe roadb'ed, said device extending froin beneath the car outwardly beyond' the track and including a `bottom ,and upwardly extending side flanges, and also'beingI provided with a door for permitting deposit of the material outside of the track rails,- .said door when the device is operatively associated with the car being disposed'outwardly of the adjacent track rail. j

50. In combination, a railway car body provided with an opening for the discharge of granular material, and means positioned bctween said opening and the track rails for .receiving said material and delivering it to the roadbed, said means comprising a bottom section and upwardly extending end sections, at least one of said ,end sections being detachably connected tothe bottom section.

i 51. In combination, a railway car body provided with an opening for discharging granu- -l'ar material, and means for depositing said icc los

vided "with a door permitting the material .to be discharged between the rails, the portion ofsaid device lwhich extends from one track rail to the other being disposed wholly above -the tops of said rails.

53. In combination, a. railway car body having an opening for the`d1schar'gebf granular material, and means for'receivin the discharged ,material and delivering ,1t tothe roadbed, said means beingf'ormed with an outlet opening and a door therefor capable of angular movement substantiallyin its own ane. Y 54. A ballast spreading device comprising a pan member provided with a bottom and upwardly extending side walls and having an' vopening 1n said bottom,a door for closing said opening, and a plurality of operating means for moving saiddoor, said means being respectively operable from opposite ends of said device. f l

55. A ballast spreading device comprising a pan member having a bot/tom and upwardly extending side' walls, said ,y bottom` being formed to discharge ballast to the roadbed of a railway track, and being provided with a plurality of doors for controlling the discharge through said bottom, each of said doors being formed with an operating handle,

said handles being spaced fromeach otherfso" as to opera-te in substantially parallel planes.

56. A ballast spreading-device comprising i a pan adapted to extend transversely across i i spreading r plate and side wallssaid floor whereby the door may be operated the rails of a railway track andhaving a floor late being formed with an o ening adapte to permit delivery of ballast etween the rails of a rail- .way track, the said opening being provided with a door adapted to slide beneath said floor plate, and said device havino` means from the side of the track during the operation of ballast.

57.A A allast spreading device comprising a pan adapted to extend transversely across the rails of arailway track and having a floor plate and side walls, said floor plate being formed with door openings adapted to permit delivery of ballast tothe underlying roadbed, the said openings being respectively provided with independently movable doors mounted to slide beneath said floor plate, said device being provided` with me-ans whereby the said doors may be operated from the side of the track during the operation of spreading ballast.

58. A. ballast spreading device adapted tol extend transversely across the'` rails of a. railrway track and to deliver ballast between the rails and outside of said rails, saddevice being formed with a pan -likebottom member and end walls, said end wallsbeing flexibly connected to the bottom member. i

59. In combination, a railway car having an opening for the discharge of ballast or the' like, and a ballast spreading device to receive ballast discharged through said opening and ,deliver it to the Ipadbed, said device includ-l ing a pan` member having a floor plate provided with an opening permitting the dis-I" charge of ballast, a door disposedbelow said floor plate for controlling the discharge of ballast `through said opening, `supporting plates for said door extending beneath the latter, and means for maintaining said supporting plates in spaced. relation to the floor plate;y l

60, In combination, arailway car having an opening. for the discharge. of ballast or the like, a ballast spreading device adapted to receive ballast discharged through said opening and deliver it to the roadbed, and means for suspending said device from the car, the

ydevice including a pan member and end members, the endl members being pivotally connected to the pan member and vconnected to said' means for suspending the device from v the car.

y 61. In combination, a railway car body adapted to carry lading, such as ballast, said body having an yope-ning therein, means for closing said opening, means associated with closure members for said last named openings.

member for said opening, and means operatively associated with said lroppervcar for distributing ballast, said' means being provided'l with oneA orl more openings, and means for adjustably closing said last named opening, or openings, `to control the discharge of ballast onto a track ballast crosssection.

i 64. In combination, a car body structure 63. In combination, a hopper car of the type y i embodying a discharge opening and a closure lll having an opening therein, a closure member orsaid opening, means operatively associated with said structure adjacent said opening for receiving-'ballast or the like discharged from Vsaid body, said means having one or more openings therein, and closure members for said last named opening or openlngs.

, 65. In combination, a railwa'vcar having an opening for the discharge of ballast or the like, and a ballast spreading device interposed between said opening and the roadbed, said device being adapted to deliver ballast to the roadbed between the rails on which the car is supported and comprising a plurality of members which are movable relatively to control the delivery of ballast to the roadbed between said rails.

66. In combination, a railway car having an opening for the discharge of ballast or the like, and a ballast spreading device extending transversely of the car for receiving ballast discharged through said opening and delivering it to the roadbed, said device including a pan member having a floor aHording an opening permitting ballast to be delivered to the roadbed between the rails on which the car is supported and provided with a flange projecting upwardly above said floor to check the flow of ballast across the latte-r.

67. In combination, a railway car having an opening for the discharge of ballast or the like and a door for closing said opening, and a ballast spreading device interposed between said opening and the roadbed and adapted to deliver ballast between the track rails on last or the like under the infiuence of gravity,

an outwardly opening door for closing said opening, and a ballast distributing pan adapted to receiveballast discharge through said opening, said pan extending transversely lof the car and being open at the end topermitthe delivery of ballast outwardly beyond a rail of the track upon which the ear is supported, and being disposed beneath said discharge opening so as to permit said door to open and being provided with a bottom and with spaced side flanges extending upwardly l above saidbottom.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature BERNARD W. STRAW. 

